


Strangers

by celebel



Category: Cricket RPF
Genre: (hardly bUT THEY'RE THERE TRUST ME ON THIS ONE), Beaches, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sharing Clothes, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, With some FWB in the middle there, only one here rn but i have so many ships with the WACA boys do you understand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-08-03 04:16:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16318997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celebel/pseuds/celebel
Summary: Sit awhile, watch the moonSink lightly into your glowWith the lights upTwo bodies were afloatWe were strangers wandering home





	Strangers

**Author's Note:**

> Me? Obsessed with the Western Warriors??? No idea what you're on about ahahahahahahahaha ~~someone send help~~
> 
> Title and idea stolen from ['Strangers' by Tia Gostelow](https://youtu.be/KWs-fGb4L8Q)
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy! :D

**Windy Harbour, Manjimup - July 28, 2014**

The wind whistled all around him, a gentle melody in time with the steady beat of the waves crashing against the surf. He took a deep breath, letting the refreshing sea breeze fill his lungs, holding it for a few moments, before letting it all rush out in a gush.

_God, I am fucking exhausted._

AJ let the heavy backpack slip from his shoulders, not caring if he heard its contents clatter alarmingly. He slumped none too gracefully beside it, letting the back of his head hit the cool ground as he closed his eyes with a low exhale. His hands splayed and dug into the packed sand under him. Beneath the sounds of the beach all around, he could hear the tired murmuring of his teammates and the sound of weary feet shuffling closer, and closer, and-

There was a quiet _oof_ as someone flopped down beside him. AJ tentatively cracked one eye open and was greeted with none other than Ashton Agar gazing down at him with those warm, brown eyes of his, and that cheeky, albeit slightly fatigued at the moment, smile which had endeared him to an entire nation. He had his too-long legs stretched out in front of him and was leaning back on his arms. Ash's chest was heaving, his warm breath visible in small puffs in the cold air.

It took AJ a moment to realise Ash had said something and was awaiting a response with his eyebrows raised expectantly. 

"Sorry?" AJ shook his head in an effort to refocus. The corners of Ash's pink lips tugged up a little further and his cheeks dimpled. AJ caught the amused spark in Ash's eyes and hoped that Ash would chalk the flush he felt creeping up his neck up to the cold. 

"I said," Ash began, voice slightly hoarse. "A five-kilometre cliff walk on the Bibbulmun Track in the middle of winter was just the best idea ever, don't you think?"

"Yeah," AJ huffed, levering himself up into a sitting position and crossing his legs. "But you'd think a Melbourne boy like you would be used to this kind of weather. Isn't this basically, I don't know, summer for you guys over east?"

"Summer? Nah," Ash replied with a small shake of his head, flicking a leaf off his track pants. "More like late spring."

AJ breathed a low laugh and Ash turned back to face him, head tilting questioningly to the side as he continued speaking.

"You'd think an England boy like you would be used to this kind of weather. Isn't this basically, I don't know, every day for you guys in the northern hemisphere?" 

"Was only over there for a few years," he immediately retorted, rolling his eyes, though he couldn't help the half-smile creeping across his lips.

Ash gave a thoughtful hum. "Seven years is a long time."

"True. Wasn't born there, though." AJ nodded in the direction of Sam, who despite his nationality, seemed to be dealing with the chill the worst out of the entire team, violently shivering beneath the four layers he had on. 

They watched in silence as he attempted to huddle closer to Matt for warmth, but was playfully shoved away. The annoyed glare from Sam drew a fond laugh from Matt, who promptly unzipped his windbreaker and draped it over Sam's hunched form. AJ's eyes widened as Matt slung a loose arm across Sam's shoulders and tenderly brushed his lips across Sam's temple, before quickly pulling away. The grumpy expression Sam had been carrying for the past three days was now replaced with a soft smile as he caught the hand of a retreating Matt and mouthed a few dopey-grin-inciting words to him. No-one else seemed to have taken notice of their exchange, but then again, AJ couldn't exactly claim the WACA boys as the brightest bunch.

With a cheeky comment on the tip of his tongue, he turned to Ash, but found that the words died as soon as he caught sight of the man next to him. 

Ash had his head tilted to the sky, catching a lone ray of sunshine which had managed to pierce the gloom of the winter clouds. His eyes fluttered shut as he took a deep breath, his lashes casting long shadows against his brown skin. The delicate almost-smile playing at the corners of his parted lips highlighted the pink tinge of exertion hidden beneath the warm glow at his dimpled cheeks. Stray curls which had escaped his beanie danced lightly in the winter breeze, framing his peaceful face. For lack of a better word, he was... beautiful.

AJ blushed furiously, turning away when he realised he'd been staring. He cast a panicked gaze around and let out a relieved exhale when he realised nobody had seen him ogling at his teammate. He glanced at Ash once more and saw that he was still lost in a world of his own. A lightbulb went off in AJ's mind and he felt himself smirking as one of his hands inched towards his pocket. 

"Oi, Ash?"

"Hm?" Ash arched an eyebrow, but didn't make any other movement.

"Look over here."

Ash opened his eyes and turned to AJ, who in an instant, had whipped out his phone and snapped a quick picture.

It took Ash a couple of moments to blink himself out of confusion, eventually refocusing on AJ, who cackled at his phone. 

"That's one for the 'gram," AJ grinned. Ash's eyes widened.

"Fuck off! Delete that right now!" He leapt at AJ, who only stuck out a hand which caught Ash in the face, preventing him and his flailing limbs from getting closer.

"Not a chance, Ashy!" AJ held the phone away with his other hand, looking away from Ash to hit the power button. Ash took the brief lapse in concentration to push away the arm holding him back and all but throw himself at AJ, manically grinning as he attempted to snatch the phone from where AJ was holding it above his head. 

"Delete that, you fuck-!" Ash yelled in between his giggles, reaching out in another attempt at a grab.

"Make me!" AJ swatted the hand away and stuck his tongue out at Ash. "You're gonna have to try harder than that if you're gonna get your filthy mitts on this phone!"

The next thing AJ knew, he was on his back, his right wrist pinned to the ground with Ash's left hand, while his left held his phone in a death grip at his chest. Ash was sitting hunched over him, his tongue just peeking out of the corner of his mouth as he attempted to use his non-dominant hand to pry AJ's fingers apart. 

"Last chance, Tye," he ground out. "Or all the fingers on this hand go."

"It's my left hand, hardly use it anyway-," AJ laughed, before abruptly choking as Ash shifted his hips in an attempt to get into a better position.

Only then did AJ notice the position they were in.

_Holy fuck, Ashton Charles Motherfucking Agar is sitting on me. Right on my goddamn crotch. And he's pinning me down. Sweet Jesus, what do I do-_

"AJ?" Ash's concerned voice yanked him out of his thoughts, though he was pleasantly surprised to see Ash still sitting on him, even if he did look very concerned. "Something wrong?"

"N-nothing," he stuttered out, biting his lip as Ash shifted again, this time to bring his face closer to AJ's. Distantly, AJ felt the pressure around his wrist disappear. _Be strong, Andrew._

"You've gone a little pink..." Ash's eyes narrowed and his hair fell around his face, no longer held in place by his beanie which had fallen off in their tussling. He was close enough that AJ could see the worried creases in his forehead and could almost feel his warm breath mingling with his. "You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, everything's just..." he trailed off, struggling for words. Ash's mouth was just so close to his, his lips pressed into a thin line and- _no, don't look at his mouth. Anything but that. Look at his eyes instead- oh shit, he noticed the mouth staring, oh fuck, oh no-_ "Peachy." _Nice one, dingus._

"Peachy, that's a new one." Ash's voice was barely a murmur. AJ moved his now free arm to Ash's shoulder, making to push him off, but found himself held in place by those deep, brown eyes.

"Yeah..." His gaze wandered over Ash's unreadable expression and all of a sudden, he caught sight of Ash's tongue darting out to moisten his pink lips. 

Time seemed to slow down. AJ could barely hear the sounds around him above their deep breaths. Ash's head seemed to tilt to the side ever so slightly. AJ wound his arm from Ash's shoulder to the back of his neck, tugging him lower. Their lips parted in anticipation. Their eyelids fluttered shut. AJ pushed himself up to meet Ash halfway and-

_Thunk._

Ash's eyes sprung open in alarm and he all but jumped off AJ, who sat bolt upright, coughing violently in an effort to distract whoever it was in front of them from his raging blush. 

"Mr Agar, Mr Tye." _Oh shit._

Very slowly, AJ lifted his gaze to his coach standing above them with folded arms and a decidedly unimpressed look. Out of his peripheral vision, AJ saw that JL had dropped his bag right by where he and Ash had been not five seconds ago. 

_Oh crap, how much did he see? How much does he know? Oh no, oh no, oh no-_

"You slackers going to sit here all day? Or are you going to get started on those sand running sessions like the rest of the boys?" His tone was completely level and knowing JL, that was _not_ a good thing.

"What? Sand running? No..." Ash groaned, falling back onto the ground and throwing a melodramatic arm over his face. He sounded perfectly normal. Maybe the past five seconds hadn't been what AJ had thought they were then. The thought left an unpleasant taste in his mouth for some reason.

"Yes, Ashton, sand running. Up and down the strand four times." JL jerked his head in the direction of their teammates already halfway down the shore. "You'd best catch up quick, or I'll have you running right up until dinner tonight."

With another groan, Ash dragged himself up and began a jogging down to the rest of the boys, leaving a still-dazed AJ sitting in front of JL.

"The offer's there for you as well, Tye."

"Sorry, coach?"

JL tapped his foot twice and fixed AJ with a level look. "Laps until dinner unless you catch up with the group in the next 30 seconds."

His words spurred AJ into action as he scrambled to his feet with a hurried "yes, JL".

"Oh, and AJ?" AJ froze, slowly turning around.

"Yeah?" he said warily.

"He's a good kid." His voice was softer than before, a thread of genuine concern and warmth in it. "Treat him right, okay?"

AJ couldn't claim he completely understood what JL was trying to tell him, but nonetheless, he gave a solemn nod and began making him way across the sand, his heart still thumping at a million beats an hour.

**Griffith, Canberra - January 28, 2015**

" _Weee_ are the champions, my _frieeends_!" AJ shouted, stumbling about the empty Canberra streets with only the blinding streetlights above to guide him. Oh, and Ash's steadying arm across his shoulders, of course, even if Ash was just as wasted as he was.

"And _weee'll_ keep on fighting!" Ash half-yelled, completely off key, waving his beer bottle in the air. "Till the _eeend!_ "

The both of them imitated the sounds of a drum kit, taking a brief moment afterwards to giggle wildly.

"We are the champions, _we are the champions_!" they yelled in unison, their voices echoing throughout the city. "No time for losers, 'cause we are the champions... of the _wooooorld!_ "

Between more bouts of laughter, they clinked their bottles together and downed them with broad, goofy smiles.

"So you know, Ash," AJ slurred, jabbing a finger into Ash's chest. "I don't usually get this smashed, but fuck me, have we been having an absolute cracker of a season!"

"Amen to that, AJ," Ash grinned, gesturing to AJ with his bottle, before raising it again to try to drain it of its final dregs.

"I don't even give a damn if I didn't take any wickets this BBL final, because holy shit! We won!" he exclaimed for the fiftieth time that night, with no less enthusiasm and surprise than the first. 

"Well, at least you played this BBL final," Ash pouted, shoulders dropping slightly.

"Aw, don't be like that, Ashy!" AJ gave him a lopsided grin and reached over to poke him in the cheek. "You were part of the XI that broke WA's one day drought this year! And you took one more wicket in your match than I did in mine! Also like, what the hell, you got Shane Watson!"

"Yeah, I suppose," Ash said, his smile returning. They stumbled about the streets pushing and shoving each other a while more, before they lapsed into companionable silence, Ash's arm finding its way back around AJ's shoulders and AJ's hand coming to rest on Ash's hip, plucking idly at the smooth material of his untucked playing jersey. Ash gave a long sigh, looking up to the sky.

"Ash? What's up?" AJ couldn't help but feel slightly concerned, he didn't know why. He didn't feel this way around any of the other WACA boys. He didn't feel hyperaware of his every move around the other WACA boys, he didn't feel the burning need to make any of the other WACA boys smile, his heart didn't speed up in his chest when any of the other WACA boys walked into the changeroom, it was only with Ash.

"One day, I hope we'll be able to win a final together. Not just some domestic tournament final, though. I'm thinking something bigger than that. I want to play for Australia again, except with you this time. The both of us in the same winning XI," he said, turning his honest, wide-eyed gaze on AJ. It was such a simple, yet sincere wish that AJ couldn’t do much but smile, giving Ash a small nod.

"Yes, Ash, I hope we'll be able to do that too."

Ash smiled, no, _beamed_ at AJ, his face so full of pure, unadulterated joy, that AJ felt himself falling just that little bit more. 

Suddenly, Ash's expression was eclipsed with shock and he all but vanished from AJ's vision in a split second, leaving him gaping at thin air like a stunned mullet.

"Ash?" he whispered shakily to his surprisingly bright, but empty, surroundings. A bubbling sound at his feet drew his attention and he barely stopped himself from stepping right into the massive swimming pool of the hotel he, Ash, and the rest of the team were staying at. A fluro orange cap with black highlights drifted across the glowing, blue water and he immediately dropped to his knees, frantically scrambling to the edge and peering over. " _Ash!_ "

AJ felt his pulse quicken, dread clogging his throat. Was Ash drowning? Had he already drowned? Should he jump in and help? No, he was in no state to help, he'd end up drowning as well. Should he go get someone? Oh God, what if it was already too late? He'd spent so much time just thinking about what to do, Ash was probably already dead and he hadn't even told him how he felt about him- wait, come again now? He wasn't even sure he'd told _himself_ how he felt about Ash. Hell, he wasn't sure if he could put to words how he felt about Ash, which was hardly the point at the moment. Everybody in Australia, no, the _world_ was going to hate him forever for letting cricket's miracle boy drown in a hotel swimming pool-

There was a loud splash followed by a noisy inhale as Ash broke the pool's surface.

AJ let out a long sigh of relief, falling back onto his butt from the crouch he'd been in as Ash hacked chlorinated water out of his lungs. Through the soaked curtain of his hair, Ash took one look at AJ and immediately burst into another round of drunken giggles. 

AJ knew he should probably tell Ash off. Tell him to be more careful, more aware of his surroundings, yet Ash's contagious glee at the entire situation brought a smile to his face and he shook his head, rocking back onto his heels and extending a hand from the edge of the pool. "Come on, let's get you out of there."

Ash stared blankly at the hand for a few seconds, before wading over and gripping it.

AJ made to pull him up, but instead found himself off-balance and falling face-first into the pool. Cold water flooded his lungs and his eyes widened in shock. 

He flailed about, wildly spluttering, gasping, and coughing madly when he finally broke the surface of the pool. The high-pitched ringing in his ears slowly faded, replaced with Ash's full-bellied laughter.

"Classic stitch-up!" he howled, tears at the corners of his eyes, or was that just the pool water? "How'd you fall for that?"

AJ tried his best to muster a glare, but it couldn't have been that effective, because Ash took one look at him and began roaring at double his previous volume. Five seconds was all it took for AJ to realise that Ash had no intention of shutting up and well, drastic times called for drastic measures. He pulled one of his sneakers off and threw it right at Ash's head.

The shoe dinked off the side of Ash's skull, immediately quieting him. The only sounds between them for the better part of the thirty ensuing seconds were the rustling of the trees above them and the water lapping gently at the pool's edge. For AJ, those seconds were spent wondering if he hadn't drowned cricket's miracle boy, but had just concussed him. 

Any potential worries were put to rest, though, when a large wave caught him unawares and reduced him to a spluttering, gasping, coughing mess once again.

"Right, that's it-" he started, swiping at the water to send a splash back in a tittering Ash's direction.

And in those few moments, the two of them found themselves caught in a full-blown water fight, swearing and splashing each other like a bunch of teenagers as each attempted to drown the other.

"Truce!" Ash yelped eventually, though he was still grinning broadly. "I call a truce!"

"Oh really now?" AJ said, narrowing his eyes. "Last time you called a truce, you tried to dunk me."

"For real this time, though, I swear," Ash laughed, and AJ somehow sensed he really was telling the truth this time round. Beneath his cheerful tone, there was almost an undercurrent of fatigue, all the adrenaline of the night finally dying away. It reminded AJ of his own exhaustion, that leaden feeling beginning to set into his limbs. "You've got me where you want me anyway. Can't exactly do much in the situation I'm in currently."

At those words, AJ became hyperaware of where exactly he had Ash.

One hand held Ash's left wrist in a firm grip, preventing any further splashing, while the other rested loosely on Ash's waist, steadying them both in the middle of the pool's deep end. Ash clutched at AJ's shoulder with his free hand, like a drowning man would to a floating log, the fabric of AJ's orange jersey bunched tight in Ash's fist. 

Above their heads was a canopy of twinkling lights. The stars winked down at them from the heavens as the moon slowly came to rest behind Ash's head, a shimmering, silver halo illuminating the ebony strands hung with clear droplets that sparkled like multifaceted gems in the glow. The luminescent lamps beneath the water cast mesmerising patterns across Ash's face and AJ simply stared entranced, shamelessly attempting to commit every single detail to memory. Everything from the smile lines etched lightly into the suntanned skin at the corners of Ash's laughing, brown eyes with their almond tilt, to the outline of his endearingly large ears which always copped a bit of stick from the boys in the changeroom, to the warm glow of youthful exuberance beneath the surface of his skin, amplified by the alcohol they'd had, to the shape of his pink lips almost permanently curled into a smile. AJ let his mind wander a little more, wondering how those lips would feel against his, how they would taste...

A feather-light touch trailed down his bicep from him shoulder, coming to rest at the crook of his elbow. The wrist AJ held in his right hand gently twisted out of his grip and was replaced with long fingers which squeezed his own reassuringly. Ash shuffled fractionally closer, pressing his chest to AJ's, their rapid heartbeats counterpoint with each other's.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?" he murmured softly in reply. It took all AJ had in him not to give in, not to throw caution into the wind to just kiss his stupid face right there and then. 

"We shouldn't do this," he said after a shaky inhale, deliberately turning his head from Ash. "We're both more than drunk right now and we'll regret anything that happens when we wake up tomorrow."

"I know you want me," Ash said plainly, left hand now a gentle pressure on AJ's cheek, forcing him to meet Ash's eyes. "And I want you too. If you say there'll be regrets when tomorrow comes, I don't know where they'll be coming from, because I sure as hell know there won't be any on my part. I'd also like to hope you won't have any either."

"Are you sure about this?" he blurted. "There's no going back to being 'just friends' if you do this-"

He was silenced with a kiss. It wasn't great by any stretch of imagination, their noses bumping and their teeth clicking together at the impatience of Ash's actions, but it was enough for now. A breath of fresh air. A promise of much more than 'just kisses' to come.

It was Ash who pulled away first, leaving AJ chasing his lips for a moment. Ash smiled, shifting his hand from AJ's cheek to the back of his neck and bringing their foreheads together. "I'm sure."

Those two words were all it took for AJ to cup Ash's face in his hands and kiss him passionately, discovering that his lips were as soft as he often daydreamed them as being. The soft squeak of surprise Ash let out was quickly swallowed by AJ's mouth and was replaced with a low moan which rumbled through his chest and echoed through AJ's. Ash let his hands wander through it all, drifting down AJ's sides, noting how AJ's breath hitched when he dipped a finger just beneath the waistband of his track pants to tease the skin at the tops of his hips.

"As much as I love a good pash, I'm not sure a brightly lit pool where just about anybody could see us is necessarily the best place," AJ murmured once they had separated to breathe, the both of them panting slightly. Ash had all but fallen into AJ, nestling his face into the crook of his neck as strong arms wrapped around his back. "Come back to my room?"

Ash's breath was warm against AJ's collarbone and AJ could feel, rather than see, his lips curving into an impish grin.

"Gladly."

**Kingsland, Auckland - February 21, 2018**

Ash couldn't help the fond smile as AJ shifted in his sleep, tugging the blankets tighter around him and mumbling a groggy " _howzat_ ". If there was one thing Ash had learned over the past three years, it was that AJ talked a lot in his sleep. Ash couldn't say he had it in him to mind too much.

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, locating some sweatpants on the carpeted floor in the darkness. He tugged one of AJ's shirts, which had somehow found its way into his hotel room, over his head as he padded to the cushioned alcove of the bay windows. He wasn't going to be able to sleep anyway. He never had been the best when it came to jetlag.

He pulled his knees to his chest, folding his arms atop them and propping his chin on his forearms as his eyes traced the thin rivulets of liquid silver streaming down the other side of the transparent panes.

Three years was a long time, far longer than he'd been with someone, if 'with someone' could be defined with what he had with AJ. Two mates who just happened to call on one another when they felt like it. Friends with benefits. Fuck buddies. Ash had said that was what he wanted, neglecting to give his reasons for it, neglecting to tell AJ he was, well, to put it simply, scared of falling in love. Scared of giving all that he was to a single person. AJ had agreed with a nonchalant shrug and a "whatever works for you, mate", though Ash hadn't missed the line of tension running down his spine. 

If what they had currently worked nicely, he saw no reason to change it, even if in those three years, he'd felt himself slowly being drawn to AJ for more than just those post-match pashes in empty physio rooms and lazy mornings spent in each other's beds on the days they didn't have training. He also wanted to sit across from AJ in that dumb café in Leederville which only accepted cash, the both of them laughing about some dumb situation Cam had found himself in that week. He also wanted to race AJ through the showgrounds whenever the Royal Show was in town, their showbags overflowing with overpriced lollies and low-quality, fair game prizes. He also wanted to sit in the middle of Langley Park with AJ at 11:59 on New Year's Eve, just in time to see the fireworks heralding the New Year go off across the river at Crown. He also wanted to walk across City Beach at sunset with AJ's hand in his, the both of them without a care in the world. There was so much more he wanted to do with AJ, so much more he wanted to tell AJ. He just didn't know how, or whether he even could without irreparably ruining everything. 

Soft snorts and snuffles from the bed drew Ash out of his brooding, and tenderly, he watched AJ roll onto his stomach, still mumbling unintelligibly as his toned arms encircled the pillows his head rested on. The blankets he'd stolen at the start of the night had now fallen low on his waist, exposing the broad expanse of his back. 

Long scratches crisscrossed AJ's back, interspersed with occasional crescent-shaped indentations in the tanned skin where Ash's blunt nails had dug in a little too hard. Blemishes every shade of red and purple ringed his throat. Unconsciously, Ash brushed a hand over the bruises and bites on his own neck, his fingertips ghosting over the tender marks running all the way down to his collarbones. He shifted in his seat, recalling the pleasant ache in his hips and the dark, finger-shaped bruises undoubtedly blooming across the skin there. 

AJ looked far younger than his thirty-one years when he slept, his blue-grey eyes shut peacefully and his crow's feet almost completely smoothed out. He moved yet again, this time onto his side, curling his body around the pillows he hugged tightly to his chest, burying his face in them.

"Ash..."

It was a quiet, almost inaudible whisper which Ash had to strain his ears to hear, nearly missing it even then. The sound of his own name, murmured which such fondness and warmth in the still of the night, produced a strange, fluttery feeling in his chest. He could hardly say it was unpleasant, though. 

He'd never heard AJ say his name like that. He'd only ever really heard him shouting it across a cricket ground, or growling it low into his ear like he had an hour ago. Ash felt his cheeks colour as he recalled the vivid memory.

Looking back, Ash didn't know how they'd managed to hold it all together for the entire bus ride back to the hotel, followed by the agonisingly long elevator ride. He and AJ had been positively desperate when the doors had finally dinged open at his room's floor and he could vividly recall how he'd barely finished locking the door before AJ was backing him towards the bed. The backs of his knees had hit the frame and he'd fallen back onto the plush mattress, AJ quickly toeing off his shoes and climbing over him. One hand had slid up Ash's shirt, while the other held his wrists pinned firmly above his head. AJ had detached his lips from Ash's neck long enough to nibble lightly at the shell of one of Ash's ears and whisper all his promises about what the night held for the them both.

Promises which AJ had kept down to the letter.

A light flashed at the corner of Ash's vision and he cast an eye down to where AJ's playing pants had been discarded, his phone hanging out of one of the pockets with a text notification bright across the screen. A second of deliberation was all it took, before Ash was creeping back across the room and scooping the phone off the ground to plug it in to charge, AJ's charger magically having found its way into his room as well. They were travelling tomorrow and the least Ash could do was make sure AJ's phone was charged, lest he get grumpy like he usually did if he didn't have a working phone on him. 

Unthinking, he skimmed over the text notification from... JL?

_Congrats on the series win, mate. Say good job to Ash for me on the MotM performance._

He shook his head fondly, his mind conjuring the image of JL back in Perth, five hours behind them, typing out his message with a proud smile. Despite JL's blunt words and harsh training regimes, he really was the biggest softie on the inside. 

Ash knelt by the bed, plugging the phone in and making to set it down by the bedside table. The screen flared briefly in the darkness of the room and Ash froze, narrowed eyes catching sight of a distantly familiar splash of scenery behind the text notification.

He hesitated for a second, before steeling himself and dismissing the notification. His eyes widened as he saw the image and his breath caught in his throat.

A long time had passed since that picture had been taken. Four years was a long time, and in fact, Ash had forgotten that picture even existed. Up until now, that was. Just looking at it, Ash could almost feel the Windy Harbour wind whipping around his face, the refreshing smell of the ocean all around him. 

In the background, the waves were frozen mid-break on the pale sands. Grey clouds obscured most of the sky, save a single spot where they'd parted slightly to allow a sole ray of warm sunshine to fall on... Ash. He was seated in the foreground, a pinkish tinge to his cheeks and a trace of a smile at his lips, barely visible beneath his wide-eyed look of surprise framed by loose, flyaway curls which had escaped the beanie sitting lopsided on his head. The light from behind the clouds had fixed soft, mesmerising shadows across his features, and had turned his brown gaze a dull shade of gold-

"Looking through my messages, are we?"

His head snapped in the direction of the voice and he yelped and fell backwards when he was greeted with AJ's big, blue-grey eyes. He couldn’t help but note how they were the same stormy colour as the Windy Harbour clouds.

"Holy shit! AJ! It's not what it looks like- I swear! I was just... just gonna plug your phone in to charge and then I saw JL's message and- oh my God, I didn't mean to read it, it's just-"

"Calm down, Ash," AJ chuckled, interrupting Ash's babbling mid-word. "It's alright."

Ash stared blankly at AJ, blinking a few times, before shutting his mouth with a soft click of his teeth. AJ huffed another laugh, slowly getting off the bed and settling next to Ash on the floor, the blanket draped over his shoulders his only defense against the night-time chill. 

"JL sent you a text," Ash blurted, unable to bear the low static of the rain hitting the windows as the only sound between them. 

"So you said," AJ hummed, still gazing out the window. Ash felt panic building in his throat. AJ was being way too calm about this. Sure, he generally was a chill guy, but... 

"He said congrats on the series win," Ash continued. "And told you to tell me 'good job' on the Man of the Match performance."

He bit his lip immediately after saying that. He wasn't sure why he'd added that second bit. AJ turned his soft gaze on Ash. Nothing ever seemed to faze that man.

"Was this not enough of a congratulation for you?" He playfully brushed his fingertips over Ash's throat.

"No, no, it was more than enough, don't worry," Ash said quickly, blushing again and having to look away from AJ. He cleared his throat, desperate for a change of subject. "Why do you have that picture as your lock screen?"

AJ gave what appeared to be a loose shrug under the blanket, but didn't meet Ash's eyes, instead choosing to turn to the falling rain outside. "Dunno, Ash. New phone needed a new background, I suppose, and I happened to choose that picture."

Ash squinted at AJ. "You're bullshitting, AJ, I can tell."

"What were you doing with my phone anyway?" This time, it was AJ's turn at an attempt to change the conversation. Ash cocked an eyebrow.

"Was going to plug it in since we do have a flight in a few hours, but that's hardly the point," Ash carried on. "Why do you have a picture of me as your background?"

AJ narrowed his eyes at Ash, before turning away with a small exhale and resigned shake of his head. "Well, it's not entirely bullshit. That is a new phone and I did require a new background for it, so I decided to grab one from my old phone. Was just flicking through the camera roll and yeah, I really liked that photo, so I used it. Didn't exactly think much about you looking through my phone and taking note of it at the time."

"But... why?"

"Are you seriously asking me why I like a photo?"

"You know what I mean." Ash rolled his eyes. "Why that photo? Surely there were others which you liked as well."

"There really weren't."

Ash pulled a face, very much bemused. "I don't understand."

"Well you see, Ashton," he began, breathing a fond laugh and looking up at Ash. There were creases of tension at the corners of his eyes. "When a man needs a new background, he usually picks a picture of something, or someone, he decides means a lot to him, and-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Ash interrupted, taking a moment to form his next words. "I... mean a lot to you?"

AJ's eyes widened a fraction when he realised what he'd said, but otherwise, showed no other outward signs of panic at his slip up. "Is that a question?"

"Yes...?" Ash said slowly, a questioning lilt to the simple word.

"Let me rephrase," AJ said, turning back to the window. The rain was still falling outside. "Is that a question you want answered? Are you really sure you want it answered?"

And all of a sudden, Ash was back in the pool in Canberra three years ago, clinging to AJ, whose stormy eyes seemed to stare deep into his soul, searching for the truth they knew they wanted.

_"Are you sure about this? There's no going back to being 'just friends' if you do this-"_

_A kiss. A smile. The truth._

_"I'm sure."_

"I'm sure," Ash echoed in the present, sitting up a bit straighter to repeat himself more confidently. "I'm sure."

AJ took a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, before letting it out in a shaky exhale. 

"Yes," he said finally, voice barely a whisper. "You mean a lot to me. More than you should in this relationship we have. Just sex with no strings attached?" He gave a humourless chuckle. "I think I've happened to royally fuck that concept up."

He couldn't say he'd fully expected to hear those words, but he'd thought he'd at least prepared himself well for whatever response AJ was going to give. 

Well, fuck. He'd thought wrong.

The implications of what AJ said began to sink in and Ash fell silent.

For what felt like an eternity, only the gentle, staccato rhythm of the rain against the fragile window panes could be heard in the room. With each passing moment, AJ seemed to curl further into himself, drawing the heavy blanket tighter around his shoulders and making himself seem far smaller than his 6'3" frame. He bit his lip and looked away from Ash's blank expression, blinking away the tears.

"I'm sorry..." AJ murmured, the words cracking slightly. He forced himself to his feet, making to grab whatever clothes he thought were his off the floor at the same time Ash's hand shot out, grabbing the quilt and pulling AJ back down.

With a squeak, AJ tumbled to the floor. He squeezed his eyes shut instinctively, bracing himself for the impact which never came. Strong arms caught him, cushioning his fall and pulling him into a tight embrace. Familiar lips found his and AJ's eyes flew open in surprise, almost immediately fluttering shut after as Ash teased his tongue against AJ's bottom lip, gently nipping at it with his teeth. AJ groaned, opening his mouth a fraction to deepen the kiss as he shifted in Ash's lap to straddle his hips. Both his hands came up to cup Ash's jaw and the blanket fell away, pooling forgotten on the carpeted floor around them.

"You mean a lot to me too," Ash breathed against AJ's lips. With a smile mirroring his, AJ playfully brushed his nose against Ash's as he continued to speak. "I just wasn't sure if you felt the same way. I wasn't sure how to tell you, or if you even wanted to know."

"Well," AJ began, looking down briefly to remove Ash's hands from his sides and clasp them in his own, intertwining their fingers between their chests, over both their rapidly-beating hearts. "For future reference, I always want to know."

A smile broke across Ash's face and he leaned forward once again, meeting AJ halfway in another passionate kiss.

Belatedly, Ash realised the rain had stopped falling.

**City Beach, Perth - May 24, 2018**

Ash idly traced patterns into the sand, sneaking a glance to his left. AJ sat beside him, wearing black shorts and a loose, grey sweater with its sleeves pulled up to his elbows to combat the late autumn chill. He picked a hot chip from the small box resting in between them, his eyes fixed on a small point in the distance, watching the sun set.

48 hours. That was all the time they had together in Perth. AJ had just returned from India and after those 48 hours, they were set to fly off to England for yet another tour. Another series. Another few months living by the tightest of schedules which left them only the barest of moments to spend with each other. 

48 hours. That's all the time he had to say it, for he didn't know when he'd get the next opportunity to. 

"You know I love you, yeah?" he blurted, breaking the amicable silence between them. He looked up at AJ, who was staring back at him, eyes wide and mouth hanging open in shock. The chip halfway to his mouth slipped out of his hand and landed soundlessly on the sand.

"Sorry, _what?_ " he croaked.

"Nevermind," he said too quickly and too loudly, attempting to pull his cap over his face while burrowing further into his hoodie as if he could hide the blush creeping across his cheeks. "Forget I said anything."

"No, no," AJ said, blinking and shaking his head a few times as if snapping out of a daze. He fixed Ash with a look which made him wish even more that the ground would just swallow him right there and then. "I'm not sure I heard that right. Could you repeat it once more?"

"Yes. No. Maybe. I don't know," Ash retorted, feeling himself getting more and more flustered by the minute. "It depends, what did you think I said, AJ?"

"I'm not too sure, Ash," AJ hummed, pretending to think, though Ash could see the cheeky glint in his blue eyes. Bastard. "I thought you said you love me. Was kinda was gearing up to tell you I love you as well, but hearing that, I'll have to assume that wasn't what you said and I'm afraid I'm gonna have to delay my own confession-"

"Go fuck yourself!" Ash yelped, punching AJ in the arm, cheeks aflame.

"And cheat you of the opportunity to do it?" he laughed. "Not a chance!"

Ash groaned, pulling his legs to his chest and burying his face in his knees. He'd imagined his confession going a lot more smoothly than that. Trust him to find some way to fuck it all up, though. Good old _Bambi_ , they used to call him back at his old club in Melbourne. Always tripping over his own limbs and words. Barely able to get the simplest of sentences out without embarrassing himself entirely. Even in a new state five, six years later, absolutely nothing had changed-

Lips brushed against his temple in a light kiss, making him look up in surprise. He turned to AJ, who had shifted closer, his tender gaze accompanied by that small smile reserved only for him.

"I love you too, Ash."

There was that warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest again. That one he only seemed to get around AJ. That one which left him completely lost for words and only capable of that dorky grin which made AJ laugh, drawing barely-repressed giggles out of Ash, who leaned forward to steal a quick peck.

Ash stood up, still smiling as he dusted the sand off his hoodie and shorts, and picked up the empty chip box to dump it in the nearby bin. He stared out to the horizon one more time, the sun barely visible from just beneath the water in the distance and the sky painted just about every shade of red, orange, yellow, blue, and purple imaginable. 

He picked his thongs off the sand and extended a hand down to a still-sitting AJ. "Should we head off?"

"Where to?"

"Home, of course." Ash rolled his eyes with a fond smile. 

AJ grabbed his own thongs from beside him and took Ash's hand with no intention of letting go. Above them, the stars had already begun appearing across the night sky and were dotted sparsely around the faint, glowing outline of the moon. 

AJ squeezed Ash's hand reassuringly and Ash squeezed back, the small smile still playing at his lips when he turned to the familiar footpath winding its way through the sand, leading the both of them home. 

"Yeah. Let's."

**Author's Note:**

> For more on WACA rarepairs, call 1800-DUMBASS-THOT or just simply visit me at @somesunnyda-y on Tumblr :)


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